Social media: how to pick your platforms

Social media: how to pick your platforms

If sorting your company’s social media in 2017 is on your New Year’s Resolution List, you’re in luck. We’ve devised a cheat sheet for which platforms to pick according to your objectives and target audience. Read on for more . . .

With today’s abundance of social media platforms, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed with both the choice and pressure of so many ways to connect with your audience. And, seeing as everyone else is on social media, shouldn’t your organisation be too?

Well, probably. But only if it will actively help you deliver on your corporate objectives.

“To Tweet or not to Tweet” shouldn’t be your question so much as “Where is my target audience hanging out, and how can I best connect with them there?” (We think the Bard would agree. He was nothing if not an audience man.)

Resources versus aspirations

While using social media for business communications might appear free on the surface, it does require time and effort. It also increasingly requires budget, though usually not as much as traditional advertising might.

Before you even contemplate a social media platform, you need to be clear on what you want to achieve and how much time and money you have to do so.

You need a communications plan which outlines your business objectives, your target audiences, your key messages and your overall strategic approach. If you need some advice on what this should look like, and how to grow your business with your communications, get in touch.

Then, taking your target audiences and key aims into account, use the below infographic to help you pick which channels are best to help you deliver your communications strategy. (Click on the image below to open it in a separate tab for easier viewing.)

If you would like to discuss, create or update your company’s social media strategy in 2017, Perceptive Communicators can help. We are experienced in generating outstanding results for clients’ social media profiles, and we also provide top-notch social media training for in-house teams.